Pyjamas out, power suits in: apparel and cosmetic sellers gain as Indians go back to office

• Top cosmetics, clothing and jewellery brands of India have witnessed an increase in sales as work-from-office gains pace.
  
• Online retail brand Myntra said the most popular work wear for Indians include kurtas and formal shirts.
  
• There was an increase in blings and cosmetic products post-pandemic, leading retail brands revealed.
  

Crisp white shirts, blazers and even kurtas are selling like hotcakes as Indians are back to office and don’t intend to recycle their last-season wardrobe of formals.

Aditya Birla Fashion has been gaining from the trend as formal work wear contributed to over 45% of its total sales in the first quarter of this year, according to a Motilal Oswal report.

Even as the festive theme takes over most purchases in the next few months, the company expects growth in formal wear to continue, the report says.

Apparel retailer Myntra too told Business Insider India that it has seen an uptick in formal shirts and pants, shift dresses, ties, blazers and even shoes in the last few months. The first half of the year saw a 10-fold growth in the segment since the first half of 2018, it said.

“Some of the popular brands on the platform for workwear include Allen Solly, Mango, Louis Phillipe, H&M, Dressberry, Arrow and Van Heusen,” said Sharon Pais, chief business officer at Myntra.

Lipstick with my kurta

To go with these clothes, office goers are buying more make-up. The government’s relaxation of norms that mandated people wear masks at all places has aided the trend.

Good Glamm Group’s online cosmetic retail brand MyGlamm has seen its sales across segments go up by seven times this year. The product that’s among its fastest selling is its ‘long-lasting’ LIT Liquid Matte Lipstick, perfect for office goers.

“Customers are seeking multi-functional, high efficacy, budget-friendly and sustainable products. Our luxury range, Manish Malhotra Beauty by MyGlamm has also seen a hike in sales by 4x,” said Sukhleen Aneja, CEO, Good Brands Co, The Good Glamm Group.

Luxury & bling

Myntra also said that its customers are now spending on luxury beauty products as they are keen on looking their best as they step out of their homes.

“The luxury beauty segment was popular among the beauty buyers with brands like MAC, Dyson, Armani Beauty, GK Hair, Benefit Cosmetics, CK and Laneige leading the way with a staggering five-fold growth in demand for the segment,” said Myntra’s Pais.

Good Glamm Group’s Aneja said that the buying trends were erratic all across the pandemic, but lipstick sales were high even when people were masking up religiously.

“Although we anticipated that lipstick sales would decline during the pandemic, they were unaffected. We saw a rise in eye makeup products. While cosmetics and skincare are in high demand post pandemic,” added Aneja.

The need to shine as they step out is also aiding the growth of jewellery sales.

“Wrist wears have gained prominence and there is traction in higher price-point rings and bracelets. Earrings have also emerged as a viable option apart from studs, which is being preferred largely by the younger generation,” said Avnish Anand, co-founder and COO of CaratLane, an online and offline jewellery retailer.

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